Listen... Amaya

Farooq Shiekh has been one of the finest actors in Indian movies who defied the concept of face value on screen and boosted quality roles and performance. "Listen...Amaya" is a story between generation gap emanating the emotional complexity between matured parenthood and disturbed youth presented through a melodrama. The film though has a very non salable cast, performances of Farooq Shiekh and Deepti Naval is really worth praising. Perhaps one of the better movies they have given together after the 80s. Well, there is very little for the people going for commercial values like songs and dances and the pace of the drama is quite slow. But overall the good performances and the story is what you would remember of this film. Just watch this as a tribute to late Farooq Shiekh. You'll like it.

Rating : 2 stars out of 4

A perfect enactment of relationships, family bonding & Life. Work of Farooq Shaikh and Deepti Naval do not require any adjectives. as there can never be enough!. Its a must watch for those who love to feel Life and Relationships dwell!. Just wonderful representation of life. The movie focuses on Relationships of a mother and daughter. Its shows how a vision of camera lens can reflect beautiful human heart. It teaches how a platform like coffee shop to can be a launch pad for life.It goes on to telling us to love overlooking the imperfections in human beings by loving the perfect hearts.

You would love.

Farooq Shaikh.

Deepti Naval.

Dialogues.

I don't remember the last time I've enjoyed watching a movie at home. Movies are meant to be watched in theaters and unfortunately I missed out on this wonderful film.

I have to also say that it is immensely heartening to know that movies of this kind are not only being thought up, but also being produced. So, there is hope. And as they say, ultimately it really is the script that is the star, or at least that's how it should be.

Leela and Jayant are two lonely widow/widowers who happen to meet each other at a cafe that is run by Leela in her home. They are naturally drawn to each other and fall into an easy relationship without the frills and silliness that is a hallmark of being younger. It is a beautifully portrayed relationship, where the silences say so much more than words ever would. Thus, when a much younger adult is suddenly faced with a relationship she is not used to seeing, her natural instincts to reject it at any cost come gushing to the surface. The reasoning she uses is so trivial, because she actually can't find a plausible reason to oppose it in the first place.

The way each relationship has been treated is also refreshing, because each of the characters have their own journey's to complete. All the t's are crossed and most of the i's are dotted, without making it obvious that it is being done at all. Kudos to the director to take the risk of not saying too much. Believing in us as an audience to understand. Powerful imagery, an interesting choice of music and superlative performances from the lead actors in Listen Amaya make you wonder why movies like this are not made more often.

I recently watched Lootera as well and though that film also had silences and nuances that the director used to great effect, Listen Amaya scores over Lootera simply because of the calibre of the actors enacting those silences. Farooq Sheikh and Deepti Naval are powerhouses of acting talent. Swara Bhaskar is such a fine performer and one who you should keep a lookout for. Most of the supporting cast blend beautifully with the way the story unfolds, that for almost two hours, you remain rooted to where you're sitting.

But credit must also be given where it is due. Had it not been for the deft directing, the sharp, almost picture perfect cinematography, or the crisp editing, the subtle and elegant sets or even the often simple music, all of the acting would have gone in vain. Because after all, the actors are only playing out a vision of what was already put on paper, long before the film got shot. Bravo for a rapidly maturing Hindi film industry and thank God for films like Listen Amaya.

A friend of mine had watched Listen Amaya when it was screened as a part of the London Asian Film Festival and had raved about it. I hadn't even heard of the film, but when she spoke of it, looking it up on Google and IMDb, I realised that it had come and gone.

I've watched the film on DVD yesterday and I have to say, the praise is justified!

I am a middle aged divorcée. While Listen Amaya speaks of two widowed people wanting to start a relationship, I see so many subtle themes that are at play here, that I can so easily relate to what happens on screen.

Children have no right over their parents or their lives, and for the vast majority of Indians, it is almost impossible to comprehend that fact. Our responsibility towards our children is to bring them up, care for and nurture them to become free thinking individuals, in their own lives. I as a parent though, still reserve the right to live mine the way I see fit. If I choose to take a partner, whether in marriage or in civil partnership, it is my fundamental right to do so.

I enjoyed the way Leela and Jayant's love story unfolded with such grace and simplicity. I thoroughly enjoyed the liberal use of intelligent humour and I admit that I also choked at some of the more emotional moments. Rarely have I seen a film which touches on sensitive issues and still stays away from sermonizing about what is right or wrong. That doesn't mean the film has no flaws.

It could easily have been a little shorter in the first half of the film. It definitely did not need any songs, although two of them are situational and therefore may be discounted. While the language used is primarily Hindi, there is too much English for it to be accepted as a mainstream film and therein lies it's biggest problem. A film like this deserves to be seen by a very wide audience, because so many people will connect with it, but it does itself no favors by targeting a small section of that audience by the limited marketing it seems to have done.

If I don't agree with the way Leela and Jayant dealt with Amaya's abject pigheadedness, I also understand that it is a deeply personal reaction and that everyone's will be different. So while I won't judge the characters, I will judge what the film did for me. Listen Amaya made me take notice of smaller, independent films that are being made today, which rely on story telling rather than a marketing blitz to sell tickets, or DVD's! It also renewed my faith in the fact that cinema can still entertain, without resorting to cheap gimmickry or sleaze.

See it if you can, because it's two hours that will stay with you for a lot longer than the time you took to watch it.

Listen Amaya has an amazing storyline with Acted by the great actors like Farooq Sheikh and Deepti Naval.

The story say much things to society. Role played by Farooq Sheikh is amazing. No doubt he was a super fine actor. Deepti Naval played the role of Amaya's Mother is very well. overall film was amazing and liked the ending very much. Film was shot with a very low budget and this films is an example of great storyline, awesome acting and a perfect ending. Low budget makes it a very decent film.

The starting of the film was OK as other films start but gradually it becomes interesting and twists in the film makes it more interesting.

Swara Bhaskar who played amaya's role looks so cute in the film and adorable also. i feel its swara's best role she ever played.